Though Zakir and Estes are wrong to market Ibn Abdel Wahab innovated creed of the upper 6th

profi-

ciency in some particular fleld simply because poets and writers of

all

times have been writing and adding subtleties to the subject,

provid-

ing food for thought for subsequent writers to open new avenues in

it.

|

1. The author is referring to the unparalleled quality of the

Koranic language

which at such occasions chooses words that are appropriate and

exact for its subject

and also in its implications for other occasions. (Raazi)

|

2. Rhetoric, alaghah in Arabic, signifies use of language that is

eloquent u well

as appropriate for both the people and subject addressed. The use

of high-flown and

difficult words for the ignorant, and inelegant and sirnplistic

expression for a barned

audience is against rhetoric.

|

However, the Holy Koran does not fit this pattern, owing nothing

to precedent and being replete with astonishing and unparalleled

examples of eloquence that were unanimously acknowledged by all

the Arabs.

|

Second ARGUMENT

|

It is our usual experience that when poets and writers of

literature

try to adorn their language with eloquent expressions they do not

remain truthful. Any one trying to be absolutely true in conveying

his

message can do so only at the cost of eloquence. It is therefore

said

that untruth is a main element of a good poetry. The famous poets

Labid ibn Rabi"ah and Hassan ibn Thabit could not maintain the high

standard of their poetry after embracing Islam. Their pre-Islamic

poetry is more forceful and elegant than their post-Islamic

composi-

tions. The Holy Koran presents miraculous examples of eloquence in

spite of being absolutely true in all it says.

|

Third ARGUMENT

|

Good poetry is considered elegant and beautiful because some of

its verses are of a high standard of eloquence. Each and every

verse

of that poetry is rarely all of the same standard. The Holy Koran,

however, from beginning to end, is such an example of unabated

beauty, elegance and eloquence that human beings of all times have

been unable to produce even a small piece of equal standard. Take

for

example the Surah Yusuf," every word of which is a perfect specimen

of beauty and eloquence.

|

Fourth ARGUMENT

|

Any writer or poet, when he relates the same event more than

once, does not manage in the repeated account to be as elegant and

beautiful as he was the first time. The Holy Koran repeats

versions

|

1. Surah Yusuf, the twelfth chapter of the Koran which describes

the life of the

Prophet Joseph. (Raazi)

of the same event, and of descriptions of the creation and the end

of

the world, and of the injunctions and the attributes of God. Each

description is different in style and in size, but every one is of

so high

a standard that one cannot be preferred to another.

|

Fifth ARGUMENT

|

The Koran talks of many things like obligatory rituals, legal pro-

hibitions, instigation to virtue, repudiation of worldly desires,

and

prPparation for the Hereafter and other similar themes. The

descrip-

tion of these things does not lend itself to elegance and beauty

and

any poet trying to compose poetry on practical injunctions of this

kind would be hard put to produce a passage of literary merit. The

Holy Koran deals with all these subjects with a high standard of

elo-

quence.

|

Sixth ARGUMENT

|

The eloquence of every poet is confined to a particular subject and

when the same poet speaks on other subjects his beauty of

expression

and his proficiency is distinctly circumscribed. Imru"l-Qais, the

famous Arab poet, is known for his description of wine, women and

horses. No other poet is as eloquent on this subject. Nabigha is

known

for his description of fear and awful events, Zuhayr for hope and

so

on.l

|

The Holy Koran, on the other hand, talks on all kinds of subjects

with great force of eloquence, beauty and elegance, and is found to

be

miraculously eloquent in each description.

|

Seventh ARGUMENT

|

Diversion from one subject to another which in turn has many

branches usually makes it impossible for an author to maintain flow

and continuity with the sarne grandeur and majesty and his language

|

1. Similarly in English literature Wordsworth is known for the

description of

nature, Keats for human sentiments etc. (Raazi)

|

usually loses its height of eloquence. The Holy Koran is full of

such

diversions, frequently jumping from one event to another, but

miracu-

lously it maintains the same flow and continuity with all the other

subjects under discussion.

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Eighth ARGUMENT

|

Another distinct feature of the Koranic diction is that it

encloses a

vast range of meaning in a surprisingly small number of words with-

out losing its charm and majesty in the least. Surah Sad own opening

verses are a good example of this. The Holy Koran here describes

a

large number of subjects in very few verses, including a

description of

the unbelievers of Makka, their rejection of the Holy Prophet,

admo-

nitions to them with reference to historical events of previous

people,

their distrust and astonishment at the revelation of the Koran, a

description of their envious nature, threats and instigations, the

teach-

ing of patience and a description of events related to the Prophets

David, Solomon, Job, Abraham and Jacob. Al these diverse subjects

been dealt with a force and eloquence that is unique to the Koran.

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Ninth ARGUMENT

|

Majesty and sweetness, elegance and beauty are counteracting

qualities that are rarely found together in a single work. These

two

opposite qualities are seen divinely combined together throughout

the

Koran in a way unknown to human genius. This again is a strong

ARGUMENT for the miraculous eloquence of the Koranic diction which

is absolutely absent from human writings.

|

Tenth ARGUMENT

|

The language of the Koran contains all possible kinds of elo-

quence, metaphor, similes, comparisons, transitions, inversions

etc.,

but at the same time it is free of any hint of verbiage like false

exag-

|

1. The best example of this is the Surah Takir of the Koran, that

is Surah 81,

where all the above qualities can be seen side by side in each

verse.

geration, hyperbolical statements and all other defects of

falsehood

and of the use of strange words etc. Human writing does not usually

combine all the aspects of eloquence in one work. People have tried

in vain to accommodate all these qualities. The Holy Koran, howev-

er, does so superlatively.

|

These ten ARGUMENTs are enough to prove the claim that Koranic

language and its intonation are so sublime that they cannot be mea-

sured by human genius. The more one is acquainted with the Arabic

language, the more he will find the words of the Koran burning

into

his heart, and its thought breathing into his soul."

|

The Second Divine Quality of the Koran

|

The second quality of the Koran that makes it a living miracle is

its unique structure and internal arrangement, and, above all, the

sub-

limity of its thought and contents. The accumulation of all the

linguis-

tic perfections in the Holy Koran has been a permanent source of

astonishment to the great writers, philosophers and the linguists

of the

world. This acknowledged supremity of the Koran saves it from any

accusation of being no more than a collection of thoughts and ideas

borrowed from others and serves the purpose of making it so promi-

nent and so distinct from ordinary human writings that the Koran

by

itself is enough ARGUMENT to prove its divine provenance and its

being

a living miracle of the Holy Prophet.

|

The Arabs were arrogant regarding their command over the

Arabic language and harboured initially great enmity against the

Prophet and his teachings. The perfection of the Koranic eloquence

did not allow them to find any imperfection in it. On the contrary,

they were forced to admit that the language of Koran was compara-

ble neither with the poetry of the poets nor the oratory of the

orators.

They were astonished at its matchless eloquence. Sometimes they

declared it to be magic and sometimes they said that it was

something

|

that had been taken from a previous people. They often tried to

stop

people hearing it by making a noise when the Prophet recited it.

They

found themselves helpless against the inexpressible attraction of

the

Koranic language.

|

It is unimaginable that the Arabs who were known to be the mas-

ters of the Arabic language would not have met the simple challenge

of the Koran to produce the like of its smaIlest surah", rather

than

wage war against the Prophet of Islam and lose the best of their

heroes in the fighting as well as sacrificing much of their

property

and possessions, if they had been able to do so.

|

They heard this Koranic challenge many times through the

prophet. He cried aloud in their face:

|

Bring then a surah like unto it, and call (to your aid) any

one you can, beside God, if it be ye speak the truth.2

|

The Koran repeats this challenge in another surah in these words:

|

And if ye are in doubt, as to what we have revealed to our

servant, then produce a surah, like there unto; and call your

witnesses and helpers (to your aid) besides God, if you are

true. But if ye cannot, and of surety ye cannot, then fear the

fire, whose fuel is men and stones.3

|

Again this challenge was thrown at them with full force:

|

Say, if the whole of mankind and jinn were together to

produce the like of this Koran, they would not be able to

produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other.4

|

The fact that they preferred to fight wars against him and

sacrifice

their lives is enough to prove that they acknowledged the

miraculous

eloquence of the Koran and it found impossible to produce any

passage comparable to the Koran.

|

There is a report that Walid ibn Mughirah, the nephew of Abu

Jahl, burst into tears when he heard the Koran recited. Abu Jahl

came to him and admonished him. He replied:

|

I swear by God, none of you is as conversant and

acquainted with poetry as I am and I declare that the words of

|

Muhammad have nothing to do with poetry.l

|

History has recorded that once at the time of flajj the same Walid

gathered together the dignitaries of the tribe of Quraysh of Makka

and suggested that they should agree on what to say to the pilgrims

if

they enquired about Muhammad. Some of them said, "We could say

that he is a soothsayer." Walid said, "By God, he is not, as is

evident

from his speech." Others suggested that he should be called insane.

Walid swore by God that he had no trace of insanity. They suggested

that he should be called a poet. Walid again rejected the

suggestion

saying that they were all fully conversant with poetic speech and

he

would never be accepted as a poet. The Quraysh then said, "We shall

tell them that he is a sorcerer." Walid said that they knew that he

could not be a sorcerer because his speech was far from sorcery and

that the only thing that could be said about him was that the magic

of

his speech had separated sons from their fathers, brothers from

broth-

ers and wives from their husbands. After this meeting they posted

themselves on the roads of Makka and prevented the pilgrims from

listening to the Holy Prophet.

|

It is also reported that "Utbah2 came to the Holy Prophet and dis-

cussed with him the opposition of the Quraysh with regard to the

Holy Koran. The Holy Prophet recited the opening verses of Surah

41. He had recited only thirteen verses when "Utbah, overcome,

requested the Prophet not to recite any more of it and hid his face

with his two hands.

|

Another report has said that as the Holy Prophet recited the

Koranic verses to "Utbah, he felt so restless that could not sit

straight

and leant back on his hands until the Holy Prophet recited a verse

of

prostration and prostrated before Allah. "Utbah retumed to his

house

in a state of emotional excitement, hid himself from the people

until

some Quraysh went to him. "Utbah said to them, "By God!

Muhammad recited verses the like of which I never heard in my life.

I was completely lost and could not answer him anything."

|

According to a report, the Companion of the Prophet, Abu Dharr,

said that he had not seen a poet greater than his brother Anis who

had

defeated twelve poets in a contest in pre-Islamic days. Once, when

he

returned from Makka, they asked him the opinion of he Makkans

concerning the Holy Prophet. He said that they accused him of being

a poet, a soothsayer, and a sorcerer. Then he said that he was

fully

conversant with the speech of soothsayers and sorcerers and found

the words of the Prophet in no way comparable to them. He was nei-

ther a poet nor a sorcerer and soothsayer for all of them were

liars

whereas his words were the truth.

|

We find in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim that Jabir ibn

Mut"iml reported that he heard the Holy Prophet reciting Surah al-

Tur in his prayer of MaBhrib (just after sunset). When he recited

this

verse:

|

Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves

the Creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth,

Nay, they have no belief. Or are the treasures of thy Lord

with them, Or are they the managers (of affairs)?

|

Jabir said that he found his heart craving for Islam.

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The Third Divine Quality of the Koran: the Predictions

|

The Holy Koran gives many predictions related to future events.

All the Koranic predictions turned out to be absolutely true. We

give

|

a few specific examples of such predictions.

|

First Prediction

|

The Holy Koran says:

|

Ye shall enter the Sacred Mosque (Masjid Al-Haram), if

Allah wills, secure, heads shaved, hair cut short, and without

fear.l

|

This passage from Sura Al-Fath (the Victory), from which this

passage is quoted, was revealed before the treaty of Hudaibiyah in

the

sixth year of Hijrah. In it the Muslims are promised by Allah that

they will soon enter the Sacred Mosque of Makka victoriously. Under

the prevailing circumstances this was unimaginable. The Muslims

captured Makka in the 8th year of Hijrah and entered the Sacred

Mosque toether with the Holy Prophet exactly as was predicted by

the Koran, some having shaved their heads and some having cut

short their hair.

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Second Prediction

|

The Holy Koran says:

|

Allah has promised to those among you who believe, and

do good deeds, that He will surely grant them in the land

inheritance of power as He granted it to those before them-

that He will establish in authority their religion which He has

chosen for them. And that He will change (their state) after

fear to one of security and peace. They will worship Me

(alone) and not associate aught with Me.2

|

This Koranic verse promises that the Muslims will be made the

true viceregents of God and that Allah will grant them and their

faith

|

strength and power. The state of fear in which they were would be

changed to peace and security. This Koranic prediction foretelling

Muslim domination did not take long to prove its accuracy.

|

Let us see how, in surprisingly a short period, this Koranic pre-

diction and divine promise was fulfilled.

|

The whole of Arabian peninsula was brought under the Holy

Prophet own domination in his own life and some of the people of Hijr

and some rulers of Syria agreed to pay jizyah (a minority tax) to

the

Holy Prophet.

|

In the time of the first caliph of Islam, Abu Bakr, the boundaries

of

Islamic domination were greatly widened. The Muslims captured

some cities of Persia, and some of the cities of Syria such as

Bosra

and Damascus.

|

Then came the second Caliph, "Umar, who changed history by his

faith in the truth of Islam, defeating the world powers of that

time. He

conquered the whole of the ancient Persian empire and a large part

of

the Eastern Roman Empire.

|

In the time of the third Caliph, "Uthman, the Islamic domination

was further expanded. Islamic forces conquered Spain in the West,

and part of China in the East. It took only 20 years for the

Muslims to

have complete control of all these countries which constituted the

majority of the known world, thus abundantly fulfilling the

Koranic

prediction. Islam dominated over all other religions of the world

and

was the major world power of that time.

|

Third Prediction

|

The Holy Koran declares:

|

It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance, and

the religion of truth, to make it triumphant over all religions.l

|

We have discussed under the second prediction that Islam, the

religion of truth, triumphed over the other religions of the world

and

the perfection of this domination of Islam over the world will be

witnessed by the world in the future.

|

Fourth Prediction

|

The Holy Koran says:

|

Allah was well pleased with the believers when they

swore fealty to you under the tree. He knew what was in their

hearts. So He sent down tranquillity upon them and rewarded

them with a victory (very) near. And many gains (spoils) that

they would take. And Mighty is Allah and Ise.

|

Allah has promised you rich booty which you will take.

And He has given you these beforehand, and He has

restrained the hands of men from you, so that it may be a sign

for the believers and that He may guide you to a straight path.

|

And other gains which are not in your power. And Allah

has encompassed: and Allah has power over all things.2

|

The victory promised in this verse is the conquest of Khaybar and

the "many gains" promised are the spoils and booty of Khaybar and

Hijr; similarly the promise of "other gains" are the booties and

spoils

to be taken from the conquest of Persia and Rome. All the promises

and predictions made in this verse came true exactly as they were

foretold.

|

Fifth Prediction

|

The Koran says:

|

And other blessings which you desire: help from Allah,

and a near victory.3

|

The promise of "near victory" contained in this verse is, according

to some, the conquest of Makka and, according to others, the con-

quest of Persia and Rome. The prediction, however, is true whatever

|

the case since Makka, Persia and Rome were all conquered.

|

Sixth Prediction

|

The Holy Koran says:

|

When comes the help of Allah and viictory, and you see

people enter Allah own religion in multitudes.l

|

In this verse the promised victory is the victory of Makka. Correct

reports place its revelation prior to the conquest of Makka.

Besides

"idha" (when) in Arabic is used for future tense and not for the

past

tense. Groups of people from Ta"if and Makka came in multitudes to

embrace Islam as was predicted by the Holy Koran.

|

Seventh Prediction:

|

We find in the Holy Koran:

|

Say to those who deny faith, soon you will be van-

quishcd.2

|

This came about exactly as wamed by the Holy Koran. The unbe-

lievers were all dominated.

|

Eighth Prediction

|

The Holy Koran says:

|

(Remember) When Allah promised you one of the two

(enemy) parties, that it should be yours, you wished that the

one unarmed should be yours, but Allah wanted to establish

the truth by his word, and to cut off the roots of the unbeliev-

ers.3

|

This is a reference to the battle of Badr and the two parties

referred to in this verse are the trade caravan that was returning

from

Syria and the other thal had come from Makka, and the unarmed

party was the trade caravan back from Syria. This also happened

exactly as was predicted.

|

Ninth Prediction

|

The Holy Koran says to the Prophet:

|

We are enough to sustain you against those who mock.

|

When the above verse was revealed to the Prophet, he told his

Companions that Allah would protect them against the ill intentions

of the idolaters of Makka who were always persecuting him and his

Companions. Allah fulfilled this promise.

|

Tenth Prediction

|

The Holy Koran declares:

|

The Roman Empire has been defeated in a land close by-

but they, (even) after this defeat, will gain victory in a few

years. Allah own is the command, in the past and in the future.

On that day shall the believers rejoice, with the help of